Faith, Well Placed
by ali3nbabe
Summary: Vanessa asks Charity out on a date. Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

Charity was sat on a stool behind the bar filing her nails and people watching when Vanessa blew into the pub looking like a woman on a mission.

"You, me, date, tomorrow night." Vanessa had a slightly wild look in her eyes as she spoke, and Charity could tell that she had been working up the courage for this proposition for a while now. It was quite cute actually.

"Was that a demand or a question?" asked Charity doing her best to sound indignant. In truth, she had been waiting for this. She knew it was coming, of course. How could it not be? Vanessa had been making moon eyes at her for weeks. Truth be told Charity would have taken initiative and asked her out herself weeks ago had it been anyone else, but Vanessa was different. Charity actually liked her and that scared the hell out of the landlady.

"Uh, well, um, yeah I guess it was a question," Vanessa sputtered out, feeling the confidence that had filled her only seconds before ebb away rather quickly now that she was actually looking Charity in the eye.

"You guess?" Charity questioned, "come on, Vanessa, you can do better than that." She may like Vanessa, but she is Charity Dingle after all and if there's one thing Charity Dingle can't do it's pass up an opportunity to have a dig, even if it's only a small one. It worked too, because before her eyes Charity watched Vanessa rise to the occasion.

"Oh my god, you're such hard work," Vanessa grumbled, "Yes, okay? It was a question. Would you like to go on a date with me?" This was Vanessa's own personal hell. The pub wasn't packed but there were more people in there than she would have liked, and they were all definitely listening in on hers and Charity's conversation. Clearly the whole village knew what had gone on between the two by now.

"Aye, go on then, why not?"

"Why not? That's all you've got to- oh." Vanessa's cheeks turned red as she realised that Charity had said yes. That they're going to go on a proper date. "So, uh, is tomorrow night good with you?"

"Tomorrow night is fine. I'll speak to Chas and get her to cover my shift and I'm sure Debs will have the kids." Charity knew that the moment she went on a proper date with Vanessa that she was done for. Sure, they had slept together already but sex was just sex. Sex didn't involve feelings, not if you didn't want it to and Charity never wanted it to. Feelings always led to something messy and Charity did not do messy; not intentionally at least. But she knew that one date would lead to another and then another and before she knew it she and Vanessa would be in a relationship and relationships definitely involved feelings. If she was being absolutely honest with herself, which she was not in the habit of doing, she already had feelings for Vanessa. Not love, no, but something that had the potential to develop into love. Something that made the emptiness inside her ache a little bit less every time she saw Vanessa. It scared and excited her at the same time.

"Alright, great." Vanessa was beaming. The sight of her smile made the emptiness inside Charity recede even more. "I was thinking I could cook for us? Obviously if you want to go somewhere else, into town or something, we totally can. I was just thinking that maybe we could-"

"Ness, Ness, babe breathe yeah? A meal at your place sounds good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Phew okay. So, 7 p.m. at mine tomorrow? I'll make sure Leyla makes herself scarce."

"Sounds good. I'll see you then?" Charity couldn't keep the smile off her face. It was unlike her and she was sure that if Chas was to walk in from the back room now she would think Charity was having an aneurism or something.

"Yeah, I'll see you then." Vanessa was smiling too. She couldn't help it. She had just asked a girl on a date. Not just any girl either, Charity Flippin' Dingle. She knew her Dad wouldn't be happy about it and she couldn't blame him really. Charity had ruined his relationship with Megan. Well, at least she had helped because he wasn't blameless there either, even if he sometimes forgot that little detail. No matter what anyone said, Charity was different with Vanessa. She was kind, in her own way, and there was always a look in her eyes whenever she saw Vanessa that made the vet think that Charity cared about her. Frank, and everyone else, would just have to get used to it.

Just as Vanessa opened the door Charity called out to her, "Hey Ness, what should I wear?" The uncertainty in her voice threw Vanessa for a second but she quickly recovered.

Giving Charity a very obvious look up and down Vanessa replied, "Something sexy," and with a quick, uncharacteristic wink thrown over her shoulder Vanessa walked out of The Woolpack, the confidence she had had walking in filling her again. She knew this could end badly, she knew the reputation Charity had but she didn't care. She was choosing to believe that Charity would be different with her and she had a feeling her faith was well placed.


	2. Chapter 2

She was not nervous; she didn't do nervous. Especially not over a date with the local vet. Except she was lying to herself. She was definitely nervous and she did not like it one bit. It was 5 p.m. and she was wrapped in a towel rifling through her wardrobe looking for something to wear. The only outfit advice given to her by Vanessa was 'something sexy'. What did that even mean?

"Sexy... sexy… something sexy," she muttered to herself, by now throwing things out of the wardrobe in her attempt to find something suitable. Just as she was about to give up and call up Chas from the bar to get her advice something in the back of her wardrobe caught her eye. It was a little black dress that she hadn't worn in so long that she forgot that she even had it. Raising an eyebrow Charity pulled the dress off the rail, an idea forming in her head. If Vanessa wanted sexy then she would get sexy.

Hanging the dress on the back of her door Charity set to work on her hair and makeup. She spent a good while perfecting her smoky eye and making sure her hair was pin straight, but the end result was worth it. Leaning over she opened her underwear drawer and felt around until she had lace in her grasp. If anyone knew 'sexy' it was her and she was not going to let Vanessa down. Pulling the lingerie over her curves and stockings up her legs Charity felt powerful. The nerves of earlier were slowly falling away and being replaced with the usual confidence that filled the landlady.

Looking over at the clock and realising she only had a quarter of an hour before she should be at Vanessa's Charity quickly pulled on her figure hugging dress, slipped on her black stilettos, and checked her hair and makeup one last time. She looked good and she knew it. Grabbing her clutch Charity rushed out of her bedroom and down the stairs. Running into the bar she grabbed a bottle of wine out of one of the fridges, knowing she couldn't show up to Vanessa's empty handed and also knowing that she wasn't really the flower-giving type; not yet at least. Oblivious to the stares she was getting from the punters, Charity waved goodbye to Chas who threw her wink and was out of the door.

After quickly hustling across the village, Charity found herself in front of Vanessa's house. Not allowing the nervousness that filled her only hours ago to take hold again Charity quickly knocked on the door. Feeling slightly awkward Charity looked down and smoothed her dress. She only looked up when she heard the door open. Opening her mouth to shoot a flirty hello at Vanessa she was stopped in her tracks when she saw what the other woman was wearing.

Vanessa had clearly gone for 'sexy' herself but her take on the word was different to Charity's. The vet had opted to wear a tight fitting, tailored suit with a white shirt and black tie. On her feet were basic, although nonetheless classy, black heels. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail with a few wisps framing her face. Her makeup was natural with a subtle red lip. On the whole, the look was perfect, and Charity suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

Vanessa, for her part, was also staring. Charity looked incredible and Vanessa swallowed thickly knowing that she was going to struggle to keep her hands off the other woman all evening. All she could do was hope that this date ended with the two of them falling into bed together once again. It had been too long since the last time, after all. Pulling herself from her lustful musings, Vanessa spoke.

"Charity? Charity? Are you okay?" Vanessa, who was too consumed with her own attraction towards Charity, was slightly confused as to why the woman was staring at her.

"Huh? What?"

"You're staring," Vanessa smirked slightly, noticing the slightly glazed over look in Charity's eyes and coming to the realisation that Charity was staring because she liked what she saw, "are you okay?"

Mentally shaking herself Charity smiled and looked Vanessa in the eye, "Sorry babe, I'm okay. You just uh- look really good, don't you?" It was unlike Charity to be so honest, but she couldn't help herself. Vanessa really did look good.

"Oh, uh, yeah I guess I do, huh?"

"Confident tonight, are we?"

"Yeah well, it worked for me yesterday so I'm rolling with it," Vanessa was having fun being this new confident version of herself, so she was going to hold on to it for as long as she could, "so are you coming in or do you want to stand there all night?"

"Alright, bossy," Charity was a bit thrown by this newly gained confidence Vanessa had but she loved it, "here I brought this," she said as she handed over the wine she had brought with her.

"Thanks," Vanessa took the wine and stepped aside to allow Charity to pass her into the house, "you look good too, by the way. But then again you always do." Charity smiled her thanks at Vanessa before looking around and taking in the changes since the last time she had been inside Tug Ghyll.

"I used to live here, you know?"

"You did?"

"Yeah, Debs used to own it. Noah and I moved in for a bit when we first came back to the village a few years back."

Vanessa knew that Charity had lived in the village before, but she didn't know the details behind her decision to leave, or to return for that matter, beyond the few whispers she heard here and there from other gossiping villagers.

"What made you leave in the first place?" she asked curiously.

"That's a long story," Charity smiled, "and definitely not first date material. I'll tell you another time."

Vanessa grinned, "So there's going to be another date is there?"

"If you play your cards right," Charity replied, returning the grin. Their conversation was then interrupted as a timer sounded from somewhere in the kitchen.

"That'll be the lasagne. I hope lasagne is alright?" Vanessa suddenly realised that she had no clue what food Charity did and didn't eat. God, I hope she isn't a vegetarian, she thought to herself.

"Lasagne is fine," Charity smiled reassuringly at Vanessa, putting the vet at ease once more, and then following her into the kitchen, "want me to open the wine?" she asked while definitely not looking at Vanessa's backside when she bent down in front of the oven.

"Please? Glasses are in the cupboard above the sink and the corkscrew is in the top drawer."

As she opened and poured the wine Charity took a second to think about the situation she currently found herself in. Sure, she had been with women before, hell she had been with Vanessa before, but this was different. This was relationship territory. She had never had a relationship with a woman before. Unless you counted her affair with Zoe all those years ago and Charity tended not to count it. She had never really thought about her sexuality before, she just slept with people she was attracted to and that was that. Like a bolt of lightning it hit her: she was bisexual.

"Oh," she breathed out.

"Everything okay?" Vanessa asked, "You looked like you were lost in thought for a second there."

"I'm bisexual."

"Oooo-kay?" Vanessa furrowed her brow and was clearly confused by the announcement.

"I just realised it," Charity clarified.

"You just- but you've been so cool about this whole 'us' thing," Vanessa was definitely confused now.

"I've slept with women before, you weren't the first, but I've never really given it much thought," Charity explained, "but it just hit me, I'm on a date with a woman, that can't be explained away by lust. Hence the bisexual announcement."

"You're being very calm about this."

"Doesn't change anything about my life. I'm still me, just got a new label now," Charity shrugged. People had called her all sorts throughout her life so if someone had something to say about her being attracted to women then it would be water off a duck's back.

"So, that's it? You have this massive revelation and then you're instantly okay with it?" Vanessa asked, feeling slightly annoyed. She had really struggled with coming to terms with her own new-found sexuality. She wasn't even sure if she was 100% okay with it even now.

"Yep, that's it," Charity nodded, and almost reading Vanessa's mind added, "don't worry, babe, you'll get there too."

Something in Charity's voice made Vanessa believe her.


	3. Chapter 3

"So, why me?" They were halfway through their meal when Vanessa asked the question that had been on her mind for weeks.

"Pardon?" Charity was confused by the question. They had just been talking about their kids, so it was a bit of a non-sequitur.

"Why me? Why did you kiss me and sleep with me? Why are you sat here with me now?" Vanessa was dying to know. Before they got locked in the cellar her and Charity had never spent any time together, so what was happening between them now had come as a bit of a shock to the vet.

"Honestly?"

"No, I want you to lie to me."

"Haha, very funny," Charity rolled her eyes, "okay, honestly, I was bored and you were there."

"Charming," Vanessa knew Charity could be blunt, but she had hoped that the woman would give it to her a bit more gently.

" **But** after that night in the cellar I was done for," Charity clarified quickly, sensing a rant brewing in the woman sat across from her.

"How so?" the vet asked, temporarily forgetting her annoyance. She didn't know why but she had a feeling that this was going to be a big moment for them in terms of their budding romance.

"When you left I missed you," Charity admitted sheepishly, worried that this revelation would make her vulnerable, but also knowing that Vanessa deserved her honesty. This was a watershed moment for her. She was letting Vanessa see a side of her that she rarely showed to anyone.

"You… missed me?" Vanessa could tell from the tone of Charity's voice that this was a big deal for her, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out why. The confession seemed innocent and harmless enough to her.

"I had never missed someone before, other than my kids. I'm 41, and I finally knew what it felt like to miss someone," Charity didn't like baring her soul like this, but she had started now so she knew she couldn't stop. Right before her eyes she saw realisation dawn on Vanessa's face.

Vanessa breathed out a soft "Oh," but then confusion clouded her features, "wait, if you felt like that then why did you out me in front of half of the villiage?"

Charity visibly cringed. She had been hoping that they could avoid this topic. She wasn't proud of her actions that day and would rather forget the situation all together, but Vanessa deserved the truth.

"It hurt seeing you with Daz," the landlady looked down and spoke to her hands, "and I wanted you to hurt too." Charity wasn't proud of her actions that night in The Woolpack; she desperately wished she could take them back. Raising her head to look Vanessa in the eye she apologised, "Ness, I'm so sorry."

Vanessa, for her part, was taken aback by the sincerity of Charity's apology. She hadn't expected it. She had expected Charity to brush it off as a joke or something that didn't matter. This acceptance of responsibility was incredible. It was a step in the right direction, a sign to Vanessa that maybe the two of them could have something more than a shag here and there on the down low. Reaching over, Vanessa took Charity's hand in her own and gave it a squeeze. No words passed between the two for a minute, but Charity understood that Vanessa forgave her, and that she understood why Charity did what she did.

Rather than dropping Charity's hand, Vanessa held it across the table as they fell back into less serious conversations about their respective lives, peppered here and there with flirtatious comments and looks. So wrapped up in Vanessa was she that Charity didn't even realise that there was quiet music playing in the background. It wasn't until Vanessa had cleared the table and they were both sat on the couch sipping wine that the soft melody of a song caught her attention.

"How long has that been on?" she asked, "the music?" she clarified at Vanessa's furrowed brow.

"Oh! All night, I guess. I put it on before you got here," Vanessa answered, "I completely forgot about it to be honest."

"I love this song."

"You do?"

"Yeah, it's… sweet," Charity said almost shyly.

Plucking up her courage, Vanessa took Charity's wineglass out of the woman's hand, ignoring her grunt of protest, and pulled her up off the couch.

"Dance with me?" Vanessa had no clue what she was doing, she half expected Charity to laugh at her. She had never asked someone to dance with her before, hell she couldn't even remember being asked to dance by someone else, but the moment felt right. She just wanted to be close to Charity. For her part, Charity just nodded silently in a way she distinctly remembered Vanessa doing before the first time they slept together.

Clearly shocked by Charity's acquiescence, Vanessa stood awkwardly not really knowing what to do next. Charity took pity on the woman and took Vanessa's hand in hers and pulled her into the middle of the living room. As if by instinct, both women wrapped an arm around the other and fell into a natural rhythm to the music playing softly in the background. They stayed that way for a while, swaying back and forth in Vanessa's living room, with both women in slight disbelief that this was even happening.

After a few songs, Vanessa pulled back to look Charity in the eye, "This is nice," she whispered, afraid of breaking the spell they were both under.

"You know what would make it even nicer?" Charity whispered back.

"Wha-" but Vanessa's would-be question was cut off as Charity leaned forward and brought her lips to the vet's. They hadn't kissed for a few weeks, but both women fell back into it as if it had only been a few hours. Lips slid over lips and slowly hands began to wander over curves. Neither woman could say how long they stood there, lost in the taste and feel of the other but eventually, as if by some unspoken mutual decision, they broke apart, resting their foreheads together and panting slightly.

"You really are a better kisser than your Dad," Charity laughed out.

Slapping the landlady lightly on the arm, Vanessa groaned, "Please stop comparing me to my Dad." She really didn't want to think about him right now, or think about him and Charity together ever again.

"Your wish, my command," Charity replied with a smirk on her face. She loved getting a rise out of Vanessa, but if it was genuinely upsetting her then she would bite her tongue. Not thinking about the implications of actually caring about someone's feelings for the time being, Charity leaned in and recaptured Vanessa's lips in a kiss.

Then between kisses, and without pulling away, Charity asked, "So, are you going to take me upstairs or not?"


	4. Chapter 4

The bang of the bedroom door echoed throughout the house as Vanessa slammed Charity back against it and somewhere in the back of her head the vet was glad that there was no one else in the house. Their lips crashed together as they allowed the pent-up energy between them to escape. It had only been a few weeks since that fateful night in The Woolpack, but to them it felt like it had been much longer. However, whereas that night Charity had been the one to take the lead, Vanessa was the one in control now.

Pushing her thigh between Charity's legs she brought her lips to the other woman's ear and whispered, "I've been waiting weeks for this," and to emphasise her point she bit down on Charity's earlobe.

"Hey, that's all on you sweetheart. I was good to go whenever," Charity panted out.

"Shut up, Charity," Vanessa grumbled while she pulled the pub owner off the door and over to the bed. Suddenly the need for skin on skin contact became too much and Vanessa took a step back to try and figure out the best way to remove Charity's tight-in-all-the-right-places dress.

Sensing Vanessa's dilemma, Charity turned around so her back was facing the woman and pulled her hair over her shoulder, allowing the vet to see the zipper that ran down the back of her dress. Stepping close to Charity's back, Vanessa slowly lowered the zip, making sure to trace her fingers down the newly exposed flesh. Never one for modesty, Charity allowed the dress to slip off her shoulders and spun back around to face Vanessa whose face quickly went slack.

Vanessa had seen Charity naked before, but she had not seen her like this. Charity was wearing a matching black, lace bra and underwear set with a matching black garter belt that held up, what Vanessa had previously believed were tights, but were, in fact, stockings. On her feet, completing the look, were Charity's stilettos. Vanessa had never seen her in lingerie before and she was a bit breathless at the sight.

She gulped, "Fuck."

"That's the idea, babe," Charity smirked as she sauntered over to Vanessa and pulled off her jacket, throwing it behind her., followed quickly by the tie that had laid around the other woman's neck.

"You know," she started as she began undoing the buttons of Vanessa's shirt, "this whole power-lesbian look you've got going on is really hot and everything, but you're wearing way too many clothes right now, don't you think?" The raised eyebrow and cocked head that accompanied Charity's question was too much for the other woman who in short order, and faster than Charity had ever imagined possible, removed her shirt, shoes, and trousers.

Both women stood a couple of feet apart for a few moments, taking in the form of the other before crashing together in a desperate kiss. Stumbling backwards, they fell onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs, their lips not parting for a moment. Remaining items of clothing were flung off and soon there was nothing separating the bodies of the two blondes. Nails dug into flesh, as both women held onto the other as though their life depended on it.

Taking initiative, Vanessa rolled over on top of Charity and pinned her hands to the mattress on either side of her head. The display of dominance from the usually docile vet sent a wave of heat through Charity who instinctively rocked her hips up to try and create some friction to take the edge off the pressure building within her. Smirking, Vanessa lowered her lips to Charity's neck and slowly began working her way down the other woman's body. Reaching her destination, Vanessa looked up and made eye contact with Charity. Shooting the breathless woman a grin, she lowered her head.

As soon as Vanessa made contact, Charity's back arched, desperately trying to get closer to her. The first time they had slept together Vanessa had been so nervous, but this time was completely different. Vanessa was sure of herself and had clearly memorised all the things that Charity liked because within minutes Charity's hands were twisted in her hair holding her close as a litany of swears and 'yeses' fell from her mouth, and her whole body trembled. Resting her head on Charity's thigh, Vanessa waited for the other woman to come back to herself. When she could finally move again, Charity reached down and pulled Vanessa up and kissing her deeply and humming at the taste of herself on the vet's lips.

"God, you're good at that," Charity breathed out, clearly still needing a minute, "give us a second and I'll repay the favour."

"No rush, I know it takes you a bit longer to recover, what with you being a Granny and all," the vet laughed out.

"You cheeky mare!" an indignant Charity replied before pouncing on Vanessa, 'I'll show you just what this granny can do."

Hours later, the two lay side-by-side with their heads at the foot of the bed, sweating, sated, and panting. Neither spoke for a long time, too busy trying to control their breathing and regain feeling in their legs. Vanessa seemed to recover first as she rolled over and lay her head on Charity's shoulder. Under her ear she could hear the other woman's heart beating fast. Regaining some of her senses Charity brought her arm up and around Vanessa's shoulder and pulled her in, as though she couldn't get close enough to her.

"That was…" Vanessa started, unable to find the right word to describe exactly what had just happened between them.

"Incredible? Sensational? Out of this bloody world?" Charity offered, smirking.

"Yeah. All of the above."

The two lay in bed for a long time after just talking and both were comfortable enough with the other by now that neither bothered to get dressed again. It occurred to Charity as she listened to Vanessa tell a story about a run-away rabbit she had dealt with at work the other day that she had never been this comfortable with someone before. Usually after sex she either left, made the other person leave, or she went to sleep. She had never just lay in bed talking and laughing with someone. She supposed this was what a normal relationship was like. She didn't even flinch when she considered that that's what this thing with Vanessa was now: a relationship. She actually quite liked the idea of being in a relationship with the other woman. She just hoped that Vanessa felt the same too.


	5. Chapter 5

When Charity woke up the next morning it took her a second to figure out what had pulled her out of her slumber. Then, she remembered: something was tickling her chin. Looking down she found the source of the slight irritation. Somehow in the night she had ended up on her back with Vanessa wrapped around her with the other woman's head lying on her chest. It was Vanessa's hair that was tickling her. Moving slowly so as not to wake the sleeping woman, Charity brushed the blonde locks to the side and then turned her head to check the time. The clock on the bedside table blinked 10:13 a.m. at her. She supposed they deserved a lie in after they had thoroughly exhausted one another the night before. As if sensing that Charity was awake, Vanessa shifted slowly, groaned, and then slowly blinked open her eyes.

"Morning, sunshine," Charity smiled. It was odd waking up next to Vanessa and being confident that the other woman wasn't going to bolt at the first sign of wakefulness.

"Mm, morning" Vanessa mumbled out while stretching, "time s'it?"

"Quarter past ten."

"Hmmm okay, s'nice this."

"What is?" Charity asked. She wasn't used to waking up to people, especially people who she had any desire to have a conversation with so this whole thing was throwing her a bit.

"Waking up together," Vanessa clarified, pulling Charity closer to her in an attempt to hold onto the last vestiges of sleep in her body. She wasn't quite ready to face the world again after a night of feeling like her and Charity were the only two who existed.

"Yeah, it is," Charity whispered, as if afraid that admitting how she felt would ruin things. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop. She never got to be happy for long, something always happened to spoil it. Usually, it was something she did. She had a habit of sabotaging things, almost as if she was taking pre-emptive measures against the inevitable. She hurt others before she got hurt herself. Not this time. She was determined that things would be different with Vanessa. The vet deserved better. Hell, **she** deserved better and it was time for the endless cycle of heartbreak and picking herself back up again to end.

Looking up at the unusual softness in Charity's voice, Vanessa saw a rapid range of emotions and expressions pass over the other woman's face. It was clear to her that Charity was having some type of epiphany and rather than intrude she just waited. When Charity finally came back to herself, she looked down at Vanessa and smiled. From that smile alone Vanessa knew that whatever this was with Charity, it was real and it was mutual. It wasn't some scheme or revenge plan that the other woman was cooking up. Charity was in this for real.

Stretching up, Vanessa leaned in and offered her lips to Charity, who leaned forwards until they connected in a kiss so gentle and loving that it took the breath out of both of them. Something shifted between them then. They were no longer two people just trying to figure out who they were or what they wanted, they were one. No words needed to pass between them. They just knew. A comfortable silence fell between them after their kiss and it was only interrupted when Vanessa's stomach rumbled loudly.

A twinkle in her eye, Charity laughed out, "Guess ya worked up an appetite last night, eh?"

Blushing, Vanessa nodded, "I guess so."

"I tell you what babe, why don't you let me buy us breakfast at the café?" Charity asked, mischief still in her eyes, "it's the least I could do after that thorough seeing-to you gave me last night."

Slapping Charity's shoulder lightly, Vanessa blushed "Charity!" she squeaked out, not completely able to keep the amusement out of her voice. She supposed it was about time she got used to the other woman's shamelessness.

"I'll take that as a yes, shall I?"

"Yeah, go on then, I could do with a proper brekkie, I'm Hank Marvin"

Getting up from the bed, Vanessa ambled over to her drawers and pulled on underwear, a bra, and jeans. Turning around to find a t-shirt she realised that Charity was still in bed.

"You getting up or not?"

"Got nothing to wear, have I? I hardly came prepared for a sleepover," Charity laughed out, throwing a wink a Vanessa.

"Oh, right, yeah, uh, do you wanna borrow something?"

"Either that or I go naked and make Bob's dreams come true. Couldn't do that to poor Brenda now could I?"

Rolling her eyes, Vanessa scoffed 'Hardy-har," as she turned to her drawers, pulled out a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt and threw them at Charity, "here, these should do ya."

"Cheers babe."

Pulling the clothes on quickly, Charity turned to look into the mirror on the wall. Running her hands through her hair she tried her best to tame the blonde locks, before giving up and using the bobble around her wrist to tie it up into a ponytail. It wasn't a look she would have chosen for herself, but she was Charity Dingle and she knew she looked good no matter what she wore.

Looking over, Vanessa smiled softly, "Christ, you really do look good at all times, don't you?"

Smirking, Charity shrugged "What can I say babe? It's a talent."

Shaking her head at the other woman's brazenness, Vanessa took her by the hand and pulled her out of the bedroom. As they descended the stairs and walked into the living room they realised they were no longer alone. Leyla was sat on the sofa watching something or other on TV. Turning her head at the noise, Leyla's eyes widened when she realised who Vanessa was with.

Sensing the oncoming barrage of questions, Vanessa raised her hand cutting the brunette off, 'Don't start okay? We'll talk later."

"I wasn't gonna say a thing," Leyla defended herself, still not entirely sure what exactly was going on right now. Surely this had to be a wind-up.

"Sure you weren't," Charity snarked, eyes narrowed, daring Leyla to start.

Sensing the brewing argument, Vanessa ended it before it could even begin, "We're going for breakfast, see ya later," and with that she pulled Charity out of the front door.

"What's her problem?" Charity asked as the door closed behind her, suppressed anger still bubbling slightly at the look of horror on Leyla's face when she had come down the stairs.

"She's just… wary," Vanessa answered, knowing that Charity wouldn't like it.

"Wary? What have I ever done to her?"

"Not her, me."

"What do you-" and as realisation dawned, she deflated "-oh." Suddenly she felt terrible all over again. She really regretted what she had done to Vanessa, but she couldn't take it back and she had apologised. She wasn't going to live her life being questioned by the likes of Leyla.

"Don't worry about it, okay?" Vanessa re-assured her, "She'll come around. They all will."

Charity offered her a quick, tight smile. She hoped Vanessa was right.


	6. Chapter 6

Vanessa and Charity walked into the café hand in hand. So wrapped up in each other were they that they _almost_ didn't notice the shift in atmosphere when they walked in. But Charity was Charity and nothing ever happened without her noticing it so she sensed the change straight away. Looking away from Vanessa, her eyes swept around the room.

"Don't you all have lives to be getting on with?" she asked the customers who were obviously eyeing up her and Vanessa. Quickly, embarrassed at being caught, the place became loud again as people began talking again, although their topic of conversation was obvious to the two women still stood by the door.

Sensing Vanessa discomfort at being the centre of attention, Charity pulled her over to a table in a corner, "Listen, babe, we can leave if you want." She knew that people were going to be shocked by the vet's decision to be with her, and she didn't want Vanessa to have to face the music just yet if the other woman wasn't ready.

Shaking her head, Vanessa made a show of puffing up her chest, "No we're fine here. We're together now and people will just have to get used to that, won't they?"

Smirking at the other woman across the table, Charity waited for her to realise what she had just said. She saw the moment that the penny dropped and Vanessa's cheeks filled with colour at the assumption that she had just made about the status of their relationship.

"Together are we, eh?"

"Well I just meant that-"

"I don't know about that, sweetheart," Charity interrupted, "not like you've actually asked me, have you?"

"You want me to ask you to be my girlfriend?"

"Yeah."

"Here and now?"

"No time like the present," Charity smiled. She was enjoying watching Vanessa squirm. She may have feelings for the other woman but that didn't mean she couldn't toy with her from time to time.

"What are we? 12 or summat?"

"Well, if you don't want to…" Charity drawled, trying her best to not laugh at the woman sat across from her.

"Ugh, fine," the vet rolled her eyes, knowing she was giving Charity what she wanted, but not seeing any way out of this conversation, "Charity, will you stop being an insufferable so and so and be my girlfriend?"

"If I have to!" Charity huffed, winking to take the sting out of her words before leaning across the table to peck Vanessa on the lips. As they parted, Vanessa's stomach gave another growl. Laughing, Charity turned her attention to Bob who was stood, staring at them in shock from behind the counter.

"Eh, Bob, instead of staring why don't you bring me and missus a fry up and brew each yeah?"

"Charity!" Vanessa groaned out, hanging her head in slight embarrassment at her girlfriend's lack of shame.

"What?" the landlady asked, eyes wide in an attempt at looking innocent.

Sometime later, as they sat eating their breakfast, the door opened and in walked Tracy. Charity was the first to see her and she immediately rolled her eyes. She knew Vanessa's sister wasn't her biggest fan, and she knew she only had herself to blame for that, but she really did not want to deal with the woman right now. As if sensing the contempt rolling off Charity, Tracy turned her head, locked eyes with her fellow blonde and then realised who she was sitting with. Charity nodded towards Tracy so Vanessa could have some warning before her sister approached them.

"Oh god," the vet groaned out.

"What's this?" Tracy asked, choosing to pretend that Charity didn't exist and speaking directly to Vanessa.

Vanessa arched a defiant eyebrow, "What does it look like?" she asked, not willing to give her sister an inch.

"It looks like you're getting cosy with the woman who ruined our Dad's relationship and outed you to the entire village."

"I am not 'getting cosy' with anyone, alright?"

"That's not what it looks like to me."

Unhappy at being ignored, Charity decided to join the fray, "Excuse me, I'm still here, you know?"

"Shut up, Charity," Tracy snarled, definitely not in the mood for the other woman's snark today.

"Oi you, listen here, me and Ness are just having breakfast, alright? She's a grown woman, she can see who she likes."

"Oh, so you're seeing each other now are ya?"

Interrupting the sniping women Vanessa answered before Charity could, "Yes we are okay? Happy?"

"Hardly! Come on, Vanessa. You're better than her. She's a right tart, everyone knows it."

Opening her mouth to defend herself, Charity was beaten to the punch by a suddenly very angry Vanessa, "Don't you dare speak about her like that again, right? We're happy and you should be happy for us. You of all people should know better than judging people for their past."

Looking thoroughly chastised, Tracy hung her head. She knew Vanessa had a point but she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Charity had a reputation for a reason. Everything she touched turned to shit. She didn't want to see her sister fall for the other woman's manipulations.

Knowing exactly what Tracy was thinking, Charity interjected, "Look, I know I've got a reputation, okay? But I'm not messing her about, right? Believe it or not, I've got no ulterior motives here." Charity knew that people were going to question her reasoning for being with Vanessa and in all honesty she couldn't give a monkeys what anyone else though, but she knew that Vanessa did. With this in mind she decided there and then to do everything she could to prove to Vanessa's family that she wasn't playing the vet, even if playing nice with Frank would be almost physically painful.

The tone of Charity's voice made Tracy give pause. Looking into the landlady's eyes she saw something there that she hadn't seen before: sincerity. Shaking her head, she leaned forwards so her lips were by Charity's ear, "You hurt her and you're dead." With that she turned on her heel and walked out of the café, the need for a coffee driven completely out of her mind.

"Feisty that sister of yours, in't she?"

"What did she say to you?"

"Gave me the old 'you hurt her and I'll hurt you' lark. Bless her."

"Oh my god, she's so embarrassing."

"Don't be daft, I'm sure you'll get the same off Debs at some point so we'll be even won't we?" Charity shrugged, smiling at the look of slight horror that fell over the vet's face. It seemed that Vanessa had forgotten which family Charity belonged to.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god," Vanessa whined out, pushing her plate out of the way and letting her head fall forward and thump against the table.

"What?" Charity asked, her confusion at the sudden outburst painted across her face.

"You're a Dingle," came the muffled reply.

"Is that news?"

"You're a Dingle and I'm gonna have to meet your entire family."

"Uh, babe, not to point out the obvious but you kind of already know them all."

"I know that. But I'm gonna have to meet them all as your girlfriend, aren't I?"

Eyes widening, Charity started shaking her head, "Don't worry, babe. I'll keep that from happening for as long as I can."

"You're good to me, you are."

"Yeah, well, you remember that when Cain and Chas are giving you the third degree."

Lifting her head up, Vanessa grinned, "I will. And I'll remember this conversation when Dad and Megan inevitably get back together properly and you have to sit next to her at family meals."

"You wouldn't!" Charity looked appalled at the idea.

Laughing, Vanessa just shrugged, "We'll see, won't we?"

"Oh you are evil, Vanessa Woodfield." Charity laughed out, shaking her head.

"Hush up and finish your breakfast, will you?"

As Charity ate, she thought about how she had ended up here. Her life had been one hell of a rollercoaster, and with more marriages and engagements under her belt than she would like to admit, she had never pictured ending up finding happiness with the local **female** vet. Yet, here she was. Sat in Bob and Brenda's café across from said vet and she couldn't remember ever feeling this happy, besides the births of her children, and truth be told, even those had been traumatic for her and left her with scars that would never completely fade. This though, this happiness, was pure and untainted by anything. She had finally found something to fill the hole in her chest.


	7. Chapter 7

"Jesus, Charity, what's in there? Rocks?" Cain asked, dumping the heavy box he had been carrying just inside the front door of Tug Ghyll.

"Yeah actually, I filled that one with rocks, just for you," the blonde replied, patting her ex on the cheek as she passed to check the car for any last bits.

A year had passed since their first date and Charity and Vanessa were finally taking the leap and moving in together. Truth be told, Vanessa had wanted Charity to move in with her months ago, but Charity had been hesitant. Every relationship she had had in her life had ended in either heartbreak, disaster, or both and she didn't want that to happen with Vanessa. So, they had taken it slowly and waited until they were both completely ready for this step, and now that they were the two women were beyond excited to start their life together.

Coming back into the house Charity walked over to her girlfriend and leaned her arm on her shoulder, "That's everything," she announced to the gathering of people who had helped them move all of her stuff from The Woolpack to Tug Ghyll. A collective sigh of gratefulness echoed through the room. Charity owned **a lot** of stuff and all of their backs were aching.

Smiling, Vanessa's eyes swept the room, "Thank you all for your help, we appreciate it, don't we, Charity?" she asked, elbowing the woman in question in the side gently.

"Oh uh yeah, thanks."

"She's always so grateful," Chas rolled her eyes, "right, we'll all get off and leave you two to it, shall we?"

After a long round of goodbyes, they were finally alone. Noah, Moses, and Johnny were at various family members' houses, giving the two women the night alone in what now was their home. Dropping down onto the sofa, Charity let out a big sigh of relief. It had been a long day.

"What you sighing for? All you did was stand around and bark orders," Vanessa asked, shaking her head, "I don't think I saw you lift a single box today!"

"It's exhausting telling everyone that they're doing things wrong I'll have you know."

Vanessa's brow furrowed, "How can someone carry a box wrong?"

"Have you met my family, babe? If something can be messed up, they're the ones to do it."

"You're terrible," Vanessa laughed out, as she sat down next to her girlfriend. Throwing her arm behind the other blonde she leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Smiling, Charity looked at the vet, "What was that for?"

"Do I need a reason to kiss my girlfriend?"

"Not at all. Don't blame you really. I am irresistible."

Rolling her eyes, Vanessa leaned in once again, this time kissing Charity's lip, "Humble, too."

Laughing, Charity grabbed Vanessa and in one smooth, yet complicated move, the landlady had laid the vet down on the sofa and straddled her.

Bringing her lips close to Vanessa's she whispered, "Wanna stop talking now?" and without waiting for an answer she brought their lips together in a slow, passionate kiss.

Half an hour later saw a naked Vanessa lying on top of an equally naked Charity. Both women were still recovering their senses and in the silence Charity thought about how far they had come as a couple. The past year had been one hell of a ride for the both of them. Between Vanessa's insecurities and panic over her sexuality, coupled with Charity's own insecurities and tendency towards self-destructive behaviour it was a wonder that they had made it passed the first week. It had gotten easier, though. The longer they were together the more comfortable and secure both women became in their relationship and the easier everything became. Now, lying in her new home, with Vanessa on top of her, Charity was so glad that they had decided to give each other a chance. She wouldn't have blamed Vanessa if she had bolted when everyone was questioning her decision to be with the village tart, but her girlfriend had had unwavering faith in her. She had proved that she was in their relationship for the long haul and with her steadfastness had broken down the last vestiges of Charity's hesitance and uncertainty about their relationship. Now, the hole that had set up camp in Charity as a teenage and grown exponentially since, no longer ached. She was finally happy.


End file.
